Military veterans are receiving preferential treatment for many federal job openings, and as with any kind of preferential-treatment program, it’s causing a backlash.

In a remarkable story, the Washington Post describes growing tension between veterans and civilians who never served in the military throughout the federal government. Civilians complain that their veteran colleagues are conservative yes-men who don’t question authority and are sometimes lacking in the necessary skills. Some complained that male veterans sometimes act inappropriately around their women peers.

“You’re getting a very conservative worker that’s very narrow-minded,” said one civilian who works in the Office of Personnel Management.

Veterans, for their part, say some civilians are condescending, lack a strong work ethic and don’t have a sense of mission.

The growing tension is the result of an Obama administration initiative to hire more veterans that began five years ago, when many of them were returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans constituted nearly half of all full-time hires in 2013, marking the biggest effort to reward veterans in more than four decades.

The tension should come as no surprise. Civilians and their peers from the military developed skills and habits in very different environments.

The move has stirred resentment in civilians with the right credentials who feel they should have a fair shot at any job opening, especially in a tough economy. Men and women who fought or bled for their country naturally believe their government should help them once they leave the military and enter a slack labor market.

Despite the tension, veterans and civilians often learn to overcome their differences. They “have the real-world experience of having challenges put in their way they need to overcome,” said one civilian supervisor about his or her veteran colleagues. “If they’re able to do the job, what’s wrong with helping someone who risked their life for their country?”